


Pick a Number

by writeyouin



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 01:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14153586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyouin/pseuds/writeyouin
Summary: After a rough day at Hogwarts, young Newton Scamander wonders if he has any worth at all. Then he finds a muggle-born student telling fortunes with what they call muggle-magic. Will it lift his spirits at all?





	Pick a Number

**Author's Note:**

> A/N – All people should remember the cases of “Pick a number, pick a colour,” that came from paper fortune tellers, if you don’t you’re too young for my taste.

Newt’s downcast gaze rested on the oak desk in front of him. He had taken to counting the rings in the wood; he would look anywhere if it meant avoiding the vindictive glare of the professor on the other side.

“Did you hear me, boy?” Professor Winters, a particularly wiry old man with a sharp tongue, bellowed.

Newt had heard every word, how could he not when he was given the same speech weekly? He wanted to forget the harsh speeches that Professor Winters spewed so freely but he couldn’t; they haunted his nights, keeping him awake to dread the next addition. Ever since the beginning of Newt’s time at Hogwarts, when Professor Winters had learnt that Newt wasn’t the prodigy his brother was, it had become a tradition to call him back at the end of the class for another screaming match disguised as a lecture; this had taken place weekly for two years now.

“ANSWER ME, BOY!” Winters demanded.

“Y-”

“YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU’RE SPEAKING.”

Newt fought to stop trembling as he raised his head, it was even more of a struggle to maintain eye contact, “If I d-d-don’t s-stop s-s-”

Professor Winters quickly grew impatient with Newt’s stutter, interrupting again to answer his own question, “I said that if you don’t get your head out of the clouds with those dangerous beasts, you’ll be destroyed; they’re only useful for potion ingredients, nothing more. You already have no future boy, you are a complete failure as a student, and worthless at charms. However, there’s no point in dying at the claws of a beast, understand?”

The words, worthless, failure, and no future echoed on a loop in Newt’s mind. He nodded meekly, fighting away pained tears and counting the seconds till he would be free of the torment.

Professor Winters’ lip curled in contempt at the pathetic excuse of a student before him, “Very well. Remember this conversation the next time you enter my classroom boy. Now, leave.”

Newt scrambled up, escaping the classroom as fast as he could. He couldn’t feel relief at his freedom for it was only temporary, he knew he would get a repeat of the speech every week until he left Hogwarts. The worst part was that Newt didn’t need the speech, he already knew he was worthless.

* * *

While Newt wanted to explore the Forbidden Forest or the Owlery, he knew it would be safer to head back to the common room; Professor Winters had a tendency to check which direction he headed in after such ‘lectures’, if Newt went anywhere outside the school now, he would surely hear about it next week.

As Newt made his way to the barrel entrance of the Hufflepuff common room he saw two of the girls making their way out, talking rather loudly about fortune telling.

“Did you hear (Y/N)?” One asked the other?

“Yeah, is it true (s)he can tell the future with only a piece of paper?” The other replied.

“Yes, I asked (Y/N) to tell my future and (s)he used what (s)he called muggle magic-”

“There’s no such thing as muggle magic.”

“That’s what I thought too until (s)he predicted that I was going to fail that practice test unless I studied more.”

“And?”

“And I did what (s)he said and passed, (s)he really can tell people’s future.”

“Whoa- I’m going to ask mine when we get back.”

The conversation faded as Newt crawled through the barrel into the cushy, yellow common room. He was mildly surprised to see a crowd gathered around you on the sofa, students were clamouring around you, each waiting to hear their future. Newt took a place in the corner, far away from people where he was content to be invisible as usual. However, as the night went on, he couldn’t help but get drawn into your fortune telling from afar; it seemed that you were actually giving reasonable predictions that all had the potential to be true.

“Alright, that’s enough fortune telling for tonight, no more till tomorrow.” You announced when the grandfather clock chimed for dinner.

There was a chorus of disappointed “Aw’s,” as the crowd dispersed, filing out of the common room.

You sat on the sofa with a smirk, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill. Newt watched you for a minute, arguing with himself whether he should ask or not; it felt like he needed some guidance now more than ever.

He approached you, swallowing thickly when you looked at him, “Hi, can I help you?” you smiled warmly.

Newt forced himself to take a deep breath, somehow feeling worse than before, “U-um, h-hello, can you r-really tell the f-future?”

You glanced at the origami fortune teller on the table then back to Newt, in truth you had just been bored and the students assumed your toy was a fortune teller; although you would have told Newt as much, the morose look in his eyes stopped you from doing so.

“Uh, sure I can.”

“T-Then can I- can I ask a q-question?”

You rubbed the back of your neck exhaling, then picked up the fortune teller, “I uh- alright, why not? Go on Newt, what’s your question?”

Newt was taken aback, he had no idea you knew who he was. Everyone else who knew him didn’t bother with niceties, yet here you were willing to give him something he’d asked for.

“R-right, um, do I have to be specific or-”

You raised a sceptical eyebrow, Newt blushed, then stuttered, “N-Never mind- I-I-I’ll just go ahead a-and ask.” He cleared his throat, “Um- P-professor Winters says I’m a w-w-worthless failure with no f-future, is that t-true?”

Your heart sunk at Newt’s question, how could Professor Winters say such things to him? Even though you wanted to throw the paper fortune teller away, hug the boy, and reassure him that he shouldn’t believe such awful words, you had a feeling that he wouldn’t believe you without some form of reassurance.

You placed your hands under the slots of paper, “Okay, now pick a number that’s written here. One, nine, six, or seven?”

“S-six.”

You spelt the word, moving the paper along with the spelling, “Alright, now one of the colours.”

As opposed to most Hufflepuffs, Newt picked blue instead of yellow, once again you spelt out the word, then asked the same question, to which Newt chose yellow.

You flipped over the yellow colour, reading the fortune to yourself, “ _Your team will play well in Quidditch._ ” The answer wouldn’t help Newt in the slightest, nothing on the paper would; how could it when it was actually just a silly children’s game?

Unable to tell him that, you flashed your most reassuring smile, “No matter what people say, your future will be bright.”

“R-really?” Newt looked hopeful.

“That’s what it says and the paper never lies, now if you’ll excuse me,” you shoved the paper in your robes, “I’m going to dinner. You can join me if you like.”

“Oh, I uh- You w-wouldn’t want me t-there.”

“Nonsense, if your future’s as bright as the teller says then I’m sure I want to be there to see it, so come on, let’s go.”

Newt smiled for the first time, an awkward, toothy smile but a genuine one all the same. He followed you to the hall, happy to just listen to whatever you had to say.

* * *

It was only a week later that Newt got called back in Charms by Professor Winters, as usual the old man seemed to be in a foul mood. Upon seeing the fearful gaze on Newt’s face, you hesitated, deciding to linger at the door where you wouldn’t be seen. Professor Winters began his usual spiel while you listened, horrified.

It was only when the professor started shouting that you made yourself known, running to Newt’s side with a cry of, “THAT’S ENOUGH.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Professor Winters blustered, turning his attention to you.

Newt stared, bewildered as you argued tensely on his behalf, “This is not teaching, this is bullying, I will not let you use your position to bully a student.”

“HOW DARE YOU?”

“NO! How dare you Professor? I am going straight to the headmaster to report this and we’ll see what he has to say about this.”

“Now, now, settle down, we can talk about this like adults.” Professor Winters backtracked.

“You should have thought about that before you started screaming like a beast then. Come on Newt, we’re leaving.”

You grabbed Newt’s hand, running from the classroom before Professor Winters had time to recover and react in some other manner.

After that day, you and Newt spent a lot more time with each other. You would often go to lessons, eat, and do homework together. He would never forget the unusual friend he had made from the mysterious case of muggle-magic.

 


End file.
